36 Hours: Long Beach, Calif.

AT the mouth of the Los Angeles River, shipping cranes flex across the skyline — an industrial panorama that suits Long Beach’s gritty reputation. But while the city’s maritime character remains, its rough edges have been smoothed in recent years — the downtown waterfront transformed by redevelopment, the busy port now welcoming both cargo vessels and cruise ships. Along with its sandy shore, a compact downtown of low-rising Art Deco towers, and unassuming neighborhoods where Craftsman bungalows are ringed by tropical gardens, Long Beach has excellent museums, ethnic enclaves and a tangle of Southern California subcultures. Layered, urban and unexpected, it is a city apart from the sprawl and strip malls that define the outer edges of Los Angeles.

Friday

3 p.m.1. POSITIVELY FOURTH STREET

After an elegant renovation, a former 1920s-era furniture store has become the cultural heart of the emerging East Village Arts District. The 8,000-square-foot building, with exposed beams and original wood floors, is the new home of Fingerprints (420 East Fourth Street; 562-433-4996; fingerprintsmusic.com), one of Los Angeles’s last great record shops. Check the store calendar for coming appearances; Lou Reed did a record signing on a recent Friday. Then, head next door in the same building to Berlin (No. 420; 562-435-0600; berlincoffeehouse.com) for an ice-blended green tea latte or Mexican hot chocolate.

5:30 p.m.2. SHIP SHAPE

Equal parts kitsch and Streamline Moderne grandeur, the famously Titanic-esque Queen Mary — a 1936 passenger ship turned floating theme park and hotel — is just across the water from downtown’s giant Ferris wheel. For a cocktail or glass of house bubbly, stop in the ship’s grand dining room, Sir Winston’s (1126 Queens Highway; 877-342-0738; queenmary.com) at sunset.

7 p.m.3. SUSTAINABLE SUPPER

Technically in Signal Hill, a small, incorporated city surrounded by Long Beach, Delius Restaurant (2951 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill; 562-426-0694; deliusrestaurant.com) is four miles from downtown, on an avenue dominated by car dealerships. But in a city with more taco trucks and neon-clad diners than sophisticated restaurants, Delius is worth the trip. The seven course prix fixe menu ($50, plus $25 for wine pairing) changes monthly, with regional renditions of New American staples like duck confit (here with teardrop tomatoes, tomato yogurt spheres, upland cress, queso fresco and mole; $16). The sustainable seafood entrees, like the pan-roasted salmon ($22), include free admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific (aquariumofpacific.org).

Photo

Cindy Atkinson, the owner, behind the counter at the Coffee Cup Cafe.Credit
Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

9 p.m.4. WINE TOWN

On the ground floor of the Breakers, a former grand hotel, Wine Down Lounge (210 East Ocean Boulevard; 562-983-2703; winedownlb.com) has candelabra and red and gray walls lined with wine bottles. The three half-glass flight ($12) offers a sample of the 3,500-bottle collection. There’s also a tapas menu, which includes bacon-wrapped oysters ($6) and platters of well-aged cheese (from $14). On Retro Row, 4th Street Vine (2142 East Fourth Street; 562-343-5463; 4thstreetvine.com) is a casual neighborhood wine bar with an excellent beer list and local art on the walls. Blues or jazz bands play many weekend nights.

Next, walk along Fourth Street’s Retro Row, a stretch of second-hand boutiques and high-end antiques shops. Recent additions include inretrospect (2122 East Fourth Street; 562-433-6600; inretrospect.co), an emporium of vintage clothes, furniture and oddities, like discontinued board games and faded erotica. Around the corner, Port (402 St. Louis Avenue; 562-434-7678; portLbc.com) has a minimalist assortment of vintage finds and store-brand clothes inspired by the city’s nautical spirit. For a quintessentially Southern California lunch, pull up a plastic patio chair at Steamed (801 East Third Street; 562-437-1122; steamedrestaurant.com), a converted bungalow with terra-cotta tiled floors and Tibetan prayer flags. Quesadillas and California-style burritos are exceptionally well prepared and are served with three kinds of house-made salsa and guacamole.

3 p.m.7. CRUISIN’

As part of Long Beach’s push to become the most bike-centric city south of Portland, Ore., the city has built bike boulevards and a Bike Station (bikestation.com/longbeach), developed a weekly “Bike Saturday” incentive program (bikelongbeach.org/events) and begun an annual bike festival (longbeachbikefest.org), held each May. A local bike advocate, Elizabeth Williams, leads eight tours, including Velo Vino, which takes riders on an urban wine tasting, and Tale of Two Views, with a 45-minute harbor cruise (Cali Bike Tours, 562-334-2453; calibiketours.com; two and a half hour tours, from $60, which includes bike rental).

7 p.m.8. CAMBODIAN REPAST

Long Beach is home to the largest Khmer community outside Cambodia. For Cambodian specialties, try the cavernous Siem Reap Asian Cuisine (1810 East Anaheim Street; 562-591-7414; siemreapasiancuisine.com), a dining hall with a bar, small dance floor and gaudy décor of plastic plants and wood carvings. The expansive menu features amok (fish cooked in young coconut, $12.95) and banh chiao (ground chicken and bean sprout crepe, $10.95).

Photo

Jazz at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, with William Artope Jr. on trumpet.Credit
Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

8:30 p.m.9. PUB LIFE

In the last year, two gastropubs have opened on downtown’s promenade. At Beachwood BBQ and Brewing (210 East Third Street; 562-436-4020; beachwoodbbq.com), sit at the long counter and watch steam rising from stainless steel brew house tanks while sampling house-brewed beers like Beachwood’s potent Annihilator American barleywine or Onyx Imperial Stout ($6 for a four-tasting flight). Just down the block, the stained glass, faux monastic design at Congregation Ale House (201 East Broadway; 562-432-2337; congregationalehouse.com) is gimmicky, but its inventory of over 100 craft beers is the best in town.

10:30 p.m.10. JAZZ AND WAFFLES

The house bar at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles — part of a chain of 24-hour soul food restaurants — may seem an odd choice for live music. But on Saturday nights, the Seabird Jazz Lounge (730 East Broadway; 562 — 243-3335; seabirdjazzlounge.com) draws jazz fans to the excellent Dale Black Quintet. A fireplace burns into the evening and there’s no cover.

Sunday

7:30 a.m.11. EARLY BIRD

Come early and expect a wait at the Coffee Cup Cafe (3734 East Fourth Street; 562-433-3292; coffeecupcafe-lb.com), a coffee shop with orange vinyl booths and unexpected touches, like modern art and spicy Mexican influences on an otherwise traditional diner menu. Try Hank’s chicken chile verde omelet ($7.95) or the house-made apple honey sausage and eggs ($8.95). For the kids, there are short stacks of banana nut or blueberry pancakes ($4.75).

9:30 a.m.12. CRUISIN’ ON WATER

For an alternative to a gondola trip through the Naples canal, go hydrobiking (Long Beach Hydro Bikes; 110 North Marina Drive; 562-546-2493; lbhydrobikes.com) in Alamitos Bay. A contemporary take on the sit-down paddle boat, these pedal-powered water bikes can fit two people and a dog. On your way out of town, head back by the East Village Arts District for a Meyer lemon or chocolate salted caramel tart ($5) and a cucumber Dry soda at Shortnin Bread (401 East Third Street; 562-257-0016; shortninbreadbakery.com). Check out the neighborhood’s newest shops, including Jj Rowe (316 Elm Avenue; 562-353-7693; jjrowe.com), a shop for “the man and his cool kids,” which sells rockabilly style and vintage children’s clothes and toys, and Bow-Tiki Boutique (322 Elm Avenue; 808-280-8563) for vintage travel gear.